Sixpack-powered Dodge Charger Scat Pack model.
Stellantis
The stands are packed, cameras at the ready, when a Dodge Charger screams across the asphalt. A Ram TRX truck fires up nearby, and the two burn smoking skid marks in front of the cheering crowd. Superchargers whine and turbos roar, filling the air with sound. This isn’t a motorsports event, however. It’s a Stellantis (the parent company of Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, Maserati, Chrysler, and more) initiative to train and pump up its dealership network.
Launching in April, Stellantis is rolling out a revamped dealer training program designed to strengthen sales readiness, product expertise, and customer satisfaction. High-energy trainers equip dealership staff with the tools and knowledge they need, especially as new vehicles and technologies come to market.
“This came about as a review and a commitment by Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa and the commercial organization,” says Stellantis Director, Dealer Training Keith Yancy. “We’re returning to some of the things that we knew were effective in the past that we had gotten away from. Back 10, 15 years ago, we used to do these big multi-city nationwide tours, and we got away from it for basically all the usual reasons; cost savings and everything else.”
High-energy trainers keep dealer staff engaged in the learning process.
Kristin Shaw
Since he took the helm as CEO last year, Filosa has had a massive challenge on his hands: turning the company around after $26.1 billion in losses at the end of 2025. Part of that massive figure, however, is tied to a sweeping reset that includes reconfiguring its powertrain options. That includes eschewing some EV plans in favor of adding more gas-powered options bringing back the Hemi V8. The company is facing a tough intersection between sky-high oil prices and tepid EV adoption partially driven by the elimination of the federal $7500 credit.
As Stellantis faces market uncertainties, it is focused on doing everything it can to shore up product quality, customer experience, and dealer partnerships. The company hired 2,000 engineers to push product development and software strategies and has massively expanded its field teams.
“What we realized is our network needed to have a visible sign we were committed to them and investing in them and motivating them to have a greater appreciation of our brands and our products,” Yancy says.
At Stellantis' training session for dealers, social media was encouraged.
Kristin Shaw
While Stellantis hasn’t revealed exactly how much it’s spending on the dealer training program, Yancy says “it's a substantial investment.” Dealerships aren’t required to pay anything to attend; they just have to make their way to the site.
Yancy says the training session ratings are averaging 4.88 on a five-point scale in terms of the user's acceptance and enjoyment of the event. Along with the positive feedback, dealership staff are posting enthusiastic videos on social media evangelizing the brands.
“It’s been a vindication of sorts of getting back to our roots,” he says. “Getting back to what we know gives us that that fighting spirit at the dealerships. And it really helps us demonstrate to our dealer network that we are in it with them as partners.”
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